This invention relates to disk drives and, more particularly, to control systems for disk drives.
Up until now, the intelligence required for controlling the various operations carried out by a disk drive, e.g. track seeking, head restore, head selection, write current selection, etc., have been accomplished by either complex hardwired logic in the drive or by "intelligent" disk drive host controllers located remote from the drive itself.
Although programmed data processors, particularly microprocessors, are starting to replace the hard-wired control systems utilized in many different types of systems, e.g. computer output printers, there has still not been an effective and efficient programmed data processor dedicated expressely for servicing and controlling the disk drive itself and being located in and as part of the disk drive.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a disk drive which includes within its own housing a programmed data processing system expressely dedicated to controlling the various operations of the disk drive.